Presidential aide, Adesina releases name of individual sponsoring IPOB

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, has named Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe as being among those sponsoring secessionist group in the Southeast.

He slammed the senator for allegedly instigating violence via support for secessionists in the South-East.

Adesina made this assertion via his weekly write-up, From the Inside’ on Friday titled, “Weighty Matters About Our Country,” published on Friday via his Facebook page.

It would be recalled that Abaribe and two others had stood as sureties for detained Indigenous People of Biafra leader, Nnamdi Kanu before he was granted bail by the Federal High Court in Abuja on April 25, 2017.

However, Kanu jumped bail in 2020 before fleeing the country which landed the lawmaker in trouble with the authorities.

In his statement, Adesina, although not by name, referred to Abaribe by saying, “Some people incite violence through words or actions, thus exacerbating the security challenges we have. You wonder where they are from, and why they would further stoke a burning fire with incendiary materials.

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“There is one funny Senator who talks about the mismanagement of our diversity as a country, yet he daily uses foul language against those in leadership. He stood surety for someone bent on dismemberment of the country, and when that one vanished, and he should have been cooling his feet in prison, the Senator still spews rubbish.

“And the President had words for him and his ilk, which exist round the country: “We are ready to arrest and prosecute all persons inciting violence through words or action.

“The seeds of violence are planted in people’s heads through words. Reckless utterances of a few have led to losses of many innocent lives and destruction of properties.”

Buhari had in his independence anniversary address last Friday, said the government had identified sponsors of the secessionist groups and their leaders.

He added that among them was a member of the National Assembly.

Adesina further lauded President Buhari for his achievement “on many fronts: in infrastructure, social care, governance, Nigeria’s image and influence in Africa and the international community.

“But critics misdiagnose incremental progress as stagnation. Since coming to power, this Administration has tackled our problems head-on in spite of the meagre resources. No government since 1999 has done what we have done in six years to put Nigeria back on track.”